§ 26. Mr. Newensasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will issue a circular designed to reduce the percentage of high-rise flats and increase that of two and three storey dwellings built by housing authorities to meet the housing needs of their populations.
§ Mr. Freeson:I am strongly opposed to high-rise flats for families with children and have made this clear frequently. The high population densities which often produce such schemes could be reduced if very low densities elsewhere were increased to reasonable levels. Families could and should thus be accommodated in dwelling houses, not high- or even medium-rise flats, in the majority of cases. This would also save time and money in house building. Government policy on this will continue to be made clear, and I am glad to say that the building of high blocks of flats is now declining markedly.